Benefits and Risks of Office Dating

Benefits and Risks of Office Dating

Romantic Confession 39% of workers say they've dated a co-worker at least once during their career.

Is office dating "no big deal," or is it too risky, given that a relationship gone sour can lead to a negative workplace situation—or even legal fallout? Regardless of the possible outcomes, a significant number of employees say they've dated colleagues, according to a recent survey from CareerBuilder, and quite a few of these relationships have resulted in a wedding. Such pursuits, however, can lead to problems, especially since a number of professionals admit to dating someone higher than them on the corporate ladder. (Sometimes, that person is their boss.) In terms of lending clarity to what's acceptable and what's banned, organizations are coming up short. In fact, seven out of 10 organizations surveyed don't have a written policy about workplace dating, according to industry research. Perhaps they should develop such a policy because the consequences of a relationship gone wrong can be severe. For starters, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) receives about 15,000 sexual harassment cases a year. So, regardless of whether or not dating co-workers is allowed in your company, you should proceed with extreme caution. More than 4,200 workers took part in the CareerBuilder survey research.

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